Clothespin clothesline-hook assembly



United States Patent 9 F CLOTHESPIN CLOTHESLINE-HOOK ASSEMBLY Norman Exton, Sands Point, N.Y., assignor to Atlantic Wire and Cable Corporation, College Point, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 797,136

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-137) This invention relates to clothespins and, more particularly to plastic clothespin clothesline-hook assemblies.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a clothespin having a hook extension adapted to maintain the clothespin on the clothesline and in position for use whenever desired, and which hook extension permits utilization of the clothespin without the necessity of removing the clothespin from the hook extension or the latter from the clothesline.

It is another object of this invention to provide such clothespin clothesline-hook assembly which can be molded from plastic material so that these units can be mass produced economically and efliciently.

It is still another object of this invention to provide such clothespin clothesline-hook assemblies in which the clothesline-hook is of a self-closing type and presents to the clothesline a substantially cylindrical bearing surface, permitting ready movement of the clothespin clotheslinehook assembly along the length of the clothesline.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated on the drawing, the invention is shown incorporated in a clothespin clothesline-hook assembly in which the clothesline-hook is separable from the clothespin. It will be understood, however, that the novel features and improvements are susceptible to other applications such, for example, as assemblies which are integral. Hence, the scope of this invention is not confined to the embodiment herein described.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and showing, for purposes of exemplification, a preferred form of this invention, without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a clothespin clothesline-hook assembly embodying this invention in position to clamp a fabric article on the clothesline;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a clothespin clothesline-hook assembly embodying this invention;

Figure 3 is a side or end elevational view of the clothespin clothesline-hook assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section through the head portion of the clothespin clothesline-hook assembly taken in a plane passing through line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through the head portion of the clothespin.

The clothespin shown in the drawings comprises a head and integral clamping legs 11 and 12 depending therefrom; each leg 11 and 12 desirably is provided with an intermediate strengthening flange 14. On the inside Wall of the leg 11 is formed ribs 15, 16 and 17 disposed opposite the ribs 15, 16 and 17 on the inside wall of leg 12. The ribs 15, 15' substantially abut; there is a small space between the ribs 16, 16 and a larger space between ribs 17, 17' as shown in Figure 2.

The head it} of the clothespin, as best shown in Figures 2,9765% Patented Mar. 28, 1961 ice 2 and 4, is shaped to provide a housing 18 having a substantially semi-circular base 19 merging into the top 20 of the head of the clothespin. The housing 18 defines a cavity 18 of a depth at least equal to one-half the thick ness of the head of the clothespin. Cavity 18' has leading thereinto a central circular opening 21 which in turn leads into a shallow depression 22 on the back of the head 10 of the clothespin. A top opening 23 extends through the top wall 20 of housing 18 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The clothespins may be molded from any suitable plastic material which in the molded shape results in the legs 11 and 12 having the desired resiliency to firmly clamp clothes or other articles to the clothesline when the clothespin is used in the conventional manner. Examples of plastics which may be used are polyethylenes, polystyrene, phenol formaldehyde resins including the well known Bakelite resins, urea formaldehyde resins, nylon resins, vinyl resins, as well as rubber including natural and synthetic rubbers, Hycar, GRS suitably compounded with fillers and pigments, as well known in the rubber art, to produce rubber clothespins having the desired rigidity and clamping properties. Polystyrene is a preferred plastic from which the clothespins may be molded.

Extending from the head 10 of the clothespin in a direction opposite to that of the legs 11 and 12 is a clotheslinehook member 24. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, this member 24 is a separate member consisting of a molded one piece longitudinaly elongated body member 24' having at its lower end a circular button 25 provided with a locking tip 26 which is adapted to enter the opening 21in the head of the clothespin and firmly locking the hook member to the clothespin. The button 25 seats within the cavity 18'. The elongated body member 24, which may be about A; inch in diameter, extends through the opening 23 as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The opposite end of the longitudinally elongated body member 24 has formed integral therewith a self-closing hook 26. This hook is constituted of a flat coil-like rnern ber 27 which may be approximately from A; to A inch wide and provided with a strengthening flange 28 which extends from the body member 24 to a point 30 short of the extremity 31.

The portion of self-closing hook 26 from point 30 to extremity 31 is a flexible tonguewhich, as shown in Figure 3, is coiled within the cylindrical bearing surface of which it is a part, through which the clothesline passes and the opening in which is closed by this flexible tongue. This cylindrical bearing surface as shown in Figure 1 permits movement of the clothesline-hook member along the length of the clothesline. When it is desired to remove member 26 from the clothesline a tug on the clothespin or on the elongated body member 24' releases the hook member from the clothesline; the tongue uncoils for this purpose. Recoiling of the tongue to reform the closed cylindrical bearing surface takes place automatically due to the flexibility of the hook-like member throughout its entire extent, due not only to its shape shown in the drawings but also to the fact that this member is molded from an elastorneric plastic such as polyethylene, nylon, rubber, etc.

The clothesline-hook member 24 is molded either by injection or compression molding of an elastomeric plastic material such as polyethylene, nylon resin, polyvinylbutyrate or rubber, natural or synthetic. Polyethylene is preferred because it has optimum elastomeric characteristics. Member 24 has suflicient flexibility so that the hook-like end can be opened to permit ready engagement of the hook-like end with the clothesline. Once so engaged, the hook-like member automatically closes, providing a cylindrical bearing surface through which the clothesline passes. This cylindrical bearing surface permits ready movement gar ens of the clothespin assembly along the length of the clothesline.

It will be noted that the longitudinally elongated portion 24' of the clothesline-hook is of a sufficient length to permit the hook to remain at all times in engagement with the clothesline and to have the legs of the clothespin firmly clarnp clothes or other articles to the clothesline, as clearly shown in Figure 1. When it is desired to remove the articles from the clothesline, the clothespin 10 is simply disengaged by a pull away from the clothesline. The clothespins then remain suspended through the hook member 24 from the clothesline in position for reuse whenever desired.

It will be noted that the present invention provides a clothespin having a hook extension whichis adapted to maintain a clothespin on a clothesline in position for use whenever desired and which hook extension permits utilization of the clothespin without the necessity of removing the hook extension from the line. Moreover, the present invention provides such assembly which can be molded from plastic materials economically and efiiciently. Furthermore, the self-closing hook is so designed that it readily engages the line, securely maintains the clothespins on the line, permits, due to the cylindrical interior bearing surface, movement of the clothespins along the length of the line, and also permits ready disengagement from the line by a simple downward pull which causes the coil hook to unwind enough to permit release of the hook from the line.

Since different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope of this invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A clothespin assembly adapted to be mounted on a clothesline comprising a clothespin body having resilient legs adapted to engage a clcthesiine and exert a clamping action thereon, said legs merging into a clothespin head, said head being provided with a cavity in a face thereof, said cavity having a back wall and having an opening extending through said back wall, said head having a second opening in the top thereof leading into the top of said cavity, a relatively elongated flexible hook member having on one end a button adapted to be disposed within said cavity in locking engagement with said first-mentioned opening, said hook member passing through said secondmentioned opening, and having at the other end thereof a self-closing hook in the form of a coil providing an interior cylindrical bearing surface through which said clothesline passes.

2. A clothespin assembly as defined in claim 1, in which said clothespin is of polystyrene and said extension is of polyethylene.

3. A clothespin assembly adapted to be mounted on a clothesline comprising a molded polystyrene clothespin body having resilient legs adapted to engage a clothesline and exert a clamping action thereon, said legs merging into a clothespin head having a back wall provided with an opening therein, said head being molded with a cavity in one face thereof leading into said opening extending through the back wall of said head, said head having a second opening in the top thereof leading into the top of said cavity, a relatively elongated molded polyethylene flexible self-closing hook member having a rod-like longitudinally extending portion provided at one end with a button having a locking tip, said tip being adapted to be disposed in said first mentioned opening with said button in said cavity and the base of said rod-like portion passing through said second mentioned opening and provided at the other end thereof with the self-closing hook member molded integrally with said rod-like portion, said self-closing hook being constituted of a coil-like member comprising a flexible tongue coiled within a substantially cylindrical bearing surface so as to form an opening through which the clothesline passes, said tongue-like member when coiled within said cylindrical bearing surface forming a closure for the opening in said cylindrical bearing surface and said tongue-like member being adapted to uncoil to permit the clothesline to be withdrawn through said opening in said cylindrical bearing surface upon the application of a tugging force to said rod-like portion and adapted to be automatically recoiled within said cylindrical bearing surface to close said opening when said tugging force is no longer applied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,434,532 Davala et a1 Nov. 7, 1922 2,368,100 Boenecke I an. 30, 1945 2,543,336 Ratchford Feb. 27, 1951 2,7 87,435 Shields Apr. 2, 1957 

